heavens! I didn't mean that at all... though I quite agree with
you about that, with you particularly. But what then, what then? What
did you mean by that? You certainly meant something by that."

"Why, it's all so trivial.... This captain to all appearances went away
from us at that time; not because of the forged papers, but simply to
look for his sister, who was in hiding from him somewhere, it seems;
well, and now he's brought her and that's the whole story. Why do you
seem frightened, Stepan Trofimovitch? I only tell this from his drunken
chatter though, he doesn't speak of it himself when he's sober. He's an
irritable man, and, so to speak, aesthetic in a military style; only he
has bad taste. And this sister is lame as well as mad. She seems to
have been seduced by some one, and Mr. Lebyadkin has, it seems, for many
years received a yearly grant from the seducer by way of compensation
for the wound to his honour, so it would seem at least from his chatter,
though I believe it's only drunken talk. It's simply his brag. Besides,
that sort of thing is done much cheaper. But that he has a sum of money
is perfectly certain. Ten days ago he was walking barefoot, and now I've
seen hundreds in his hands. His sister has fits of some sort every day,
she shrieks and he 'keeps her in order' with the whip. You must inspire
a woman with respect, he says. What I can't understand is how Shatov
goes on living above him. Alexey Nilitch has only been three days with
them. They were acquainted in Petersburg, and now he's taken the lodge
to get away from the disturbance."

"Is this all true?" said Stepan Trofimovitch, addressing the engineer.

"You do gossip a lot, Liputin," the latter muttered wrathfully.

"Mysteries, secrets! Where have all these mysteries and secrets among us
sprung from?" Stepan Trofimovitch could not refrain from exclaiming.

The engineer frowned, flushed red, shrugged his shoulders and went out
of the room.

"Alexey Nilitch positively snatched the whip out of his hand, broke it
and threw it out of the window, and they had a violent quarrel," added
Liputin.

"Why are you chattering, Liputin; it's stupid. What for?" Alexey Nilitch
turned again instantly.

"Why be so modest and conceal the generous impulses of one's soul; that
is, of your soul? I'm not speaking of my own."

"How stupid it is... and quite unnecessary. Lebyadkin's stupid and quite
worthless--and no use to the cause, and... utterly mischievo